How does the temperature around us affect the magnetisim of magnets?
Introduction/Hypothesis
If we put a magnet in a cold environment then the magnetism of the object will not be as great if it was in a hot or moderate environment because the cold temperature will affect the particles and cause them to move slower.
Annotated bibliography for background information
In physics, the Curie Temperature/Point is the point at which a magnet will lose its magnetism if heated above the Curie temperature. This temperature is different for all metals. Magnets will lose their polarization if the temperature rises above their given point. The higher the temperature, the closer to the Curie Point, the less magnetic the magnet will be. The further away from the Curie Point, the lower the temperature, the higher its magnetism.
Ferro magnets tend to have a strong magnetism unless there is some kind of external magnetic field. All ferro magnets have a maximum temperature where the magnetic property decreases and eventually is gone when there is some kind of thermal force that the magnet doesn’t cope with. This temperature is called the Curie temperature. The Curie temperature is the amount of energy it takes to break up the long-range ordering in the magnet.
A magnet is defined as an object that has a magnetic field. A magnetic field is the space surrounding a magnet, where the force of the magnet is. This describes how strong a magnet is. Magnets have lines of force. When the magnet comes close to one that it is repelling, the magnetic lines come close to it, but do not intersect, they bounce off of each other.
If you were to demagnetize a magnet, you would heat a magnet past its Curie point. This would destroy the molecular motion, and remove magnetization. Magnetic moment is when the magnet acts upon another. The strength of the magnetic field depends on the magnitude of its magnetic moment.
4 magnets
4 paper clips
2 rulers
boiled water
fridge
freezer
thermometer.
Procedure
Cold Magnets:
Collect 2 magnets
Put one in the freezer
Put the other in the fridge
Keep magnets in their place for at least 2 hours
Set up table for experiment: put 2 rulers next to each other, leaving a space of about 4 inches in between where you will put the paper clip. The paper clip goes at the very beginning of the ruler (0cm) mark.
Take them one out, and record temperature.
Test out magnet by sliding across the table, and recording how far away the magnet attracts the paper clip.
Repeat steps 6 and 7 for the other paper clip, and record.
Repeat steps 1-8 two more times, (3 trials total)
Hot Magnet:
Boil water.
Place a magnet in a bowl.
Place bowl and magnet on top of the boiling water, and let sit for 10-15 minutes.
Set up table like before.
Carefully take the magnet off of the boiling water, and record temperature.
Test out the distance it takes to attract the magnet, and record.
Repeat steops 1-6 two more times, (3 trials total).
Room Temperature Magnet:
Set up table like before.
Record temperature of the magnet that hasn't been hot or cold.
Test out the distance the magnet takes to attract the paper clip, and record.
Repeat steps 1-3 two more times, (3 trials total).
Variables and Controls
Independent Variable: Temperature of magnets
Dependent Variable: the magnetism/attraction of the magnet.
Controls: using the same size/shape/type of magnet throughout this experiment.
Data recordings and pictures
Magnet
Temperature (*F)
Trial 1 (cm)
Temperature (*F)
Trial 2 (cm)
Temperature (*F)
Trial 3 (cm)
Room Temperature
74
0.05
72
0.045
78
0.054
Fridge
41
0.06
39
0.072
37
0.075
Freezer
2
0.08
2
0.082
0
0.085
Stove
103
0.02
98
0.035
112
0.013
Charts and graphs
Results Overall, our experiment showed that when the magnet was at a higher temperature, the magnetism was decreased. While the temperature of the magnet was colder, the magnetism became stronger.
Seeing a visual comparison of data is the scientific way to analyze it. Charts and graphs provide visual size/height differences to show how your numbers stack up against each other. Use Excel, or hand-draw as many charts/graphs as it takes to make your findings obvious. Use the file button above to insert your graphics here.
(can't get excel graphs onto this website).
Conclusions
Our hypothesis was proven wrong in our experiment. When the magnet became colder, the resistance became weaker, allowing the magnetic field to be higher. This resulted in the magnet becoming stronger than the higher temperature magnets. The average temperature for the room temperature magnet was 74.67*F. The average distance it took to grab the paper clip was .04967 cm. The average temperature for the fridge magnet was 39*F. The average distance it took to grab the paper clip was .069 cm. The average temperature for the freezer magnet was 1.3*F. The average distance it took for it to grab the paper clip was .0823 cm. The average temperature of the hotter magnet from the stove was 104.3*F. The average distance it took for it to grab the paper clip was .02267 cm. The expirement shows correct results because within research we found out about the Curie Point. This states that a magent loses its magnetism when heated above this point. In our experiment, this is shown because the higher the temperature got, the less effective the magnet was. The further away from the curie point, the more effective the magnet became.
Sources of Error
In our experiment, there were a few sources of error that could've affected the results. For example, when we took the magnets out of the freezer, fridge, or off the stove, the temperature changed a little bit within the time we started the experiment. It couldn't have affected the resutls dramatically, but it does decrease the distance that the paper clip was pulled at by a small amount. The distance could be an error as well. When finding the distance the magnet pulls on the paper clip, the rulers could've been moved/uneven, therefore effecting the distance by +/- .005 cm. If we were to do this project again, we would use other objects to be attracted by the magnet. This is because the paper clip was light, and the magnetic field didn't have to be as strong as it would be to attract/pull other objects.
Big Question
How does the temperature around us affect the magnetisim of magnets?Introduction/Hypothesis
If we put a magnet in a cold environment then the magnetism of the object will not be as great if it was in a hot or moderate environment because the cold temperature will affect the particles and cause them to move slower.Annotated bibliography for background information
- "Curie Temperature." Wikipedia. N.p., 11/15/11. Web. 29 Nov 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curie_temperature>.
Nave, C.R., 2005d. "The Curie Temperature," HyperPhysics, Departments of Physics and Astronomy, Georgia State University [accessed September 21, 2006] http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/solids/ferro.html#c3.Materials list
4 magnets4 paper clips
2 rulers
boiled water
fridge
freezer
thermometer.
Procedure
Cold Magnets:Hot Magnet:
Room Temperature Magnet:
Variables and Controls
Independent Variable: Temperature of magnetsDependent Variable: the magnetism/attraction of the magnet.
Controls: using the same size/shape/type of magnet throughout this experiment.
Data recordings and pictures
Charts and graphs
Results
Overall, our experiment showed that when the magnet was at a higher temperature, the magnetism was decreased. While the temperature of the magnet was colder, the magnetism became stronger.
Seeing a visual comparison of data is the scientific way to analyze it. Charts and graphs provide visual size/height differences to show how your numbers stack up against each other. Use Excel, or hand-draw as many charts/graphs as it takes to make your findings obvious. Use the file button above to insert your graphics here.
(can't get excel graphs onto this website).
Conclusions
Our hypothesis was proven wrong in our experiment. When the magnet became colder, the resistance became weaker, allowing the magnetic field to be higher. This resulted in the magnet becoming stronger than the higher temperature magnets. The average temperature for the room temperature magnet was 74.67*F. The average distance it took to grab the paper clip was .04967 cm. The average temperature for the fridge magnet was 39*F. The average distance it took to grab the paper clip was .069 cm. The average temperature for the freezer magnet was 1.3*F. The average distance it took for it to grab the paper clip was .0823 cm. The average temperature of the hotter magnet from the stove was 104.3*F. The average distance it took for it to grab the paper clip was .02267 cm. The expirement shows correct results because within research we found out about the Curie Point. This states that a magent loses its magnetism when heated above this point. In our experiment, this is shown because the higher the temperature got, the less effective the magnet was. The further away from the curie point, the more effective the magnet became.Sources of Error
In our experiment, there were a few sources of error that could've affected the results. For example, when we took the magnets out of the freezer, fridge, or off the stove, the temperature changed a little bit within the time we started the experiment. It couldn't have affected the resutls dramatically, but it does decrease the distance that the paper clip was pulled at by a small amount. The distance could be an error as well. When finding the distance the magnet pulls on the paper clip, the rulers could've been moved/uneven, therefore effecting the distance by +/- .005 cm. If we were to do this project again, we would use other objects to be attracted by the magnet. This is because the paper clip was light, and the magnetic field didn't have to be as strong as it would be to attract/pull other objects.